1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates in general to subsea well equipment, and in particular to a device used with a running tool for running tubing hangers or Christmas trees which will connect a single passage extending down from the drilling or production vessel to either the annulus flowline or to the production flowline.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In one type of subsea well, a string of tubing will extend through the production casing and be supported at the subsea wellhead by a tubing hanger. Typically, there will be two bores in the tubing hanger, one of which communicates with the tubing, and the other which communicates with the annulus surrounding the tubing. Access to these bores needs to be available for flowing fluids, setting plugs and subsea valves on wireline, and other uses.
Typically, subsea well tubing hangers have been run by using a multiple string riser extending from the well to the vessel. A riser of this nature is expensive and time consuming to install. Alternately, an operator might run the rubing hanger using two strings of tubing simultaneously. This procedure is cumbersome.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,770,247, Robert L. Wilkins, Sep. 13, 1988, discloses a selector that will run a subsea tubing hanger or a Christmas tree on a single string of drill pipe or tubing. The assembly includes a selector that will connect the single upper passage to one of the lower ports. This selection is handled by rotating the string. While the device may be workable, rotating the string can be a disadvantage, particularly in deep water. Also, in that device, the tube does not seal the connected port from the disconnected port.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,133,418, Jan. 9, 1979, and 4,260,022, Apr. 7, 1981, Bernard H. Van Bilderbeek, disclose a selector that will connect an upper passage to one of a number of ports located on the lower end. In that tool, an indexing mechanism, located at the lower end, is actuated by hydraulic pressure rather than rotating a drill string. While workable, improvements are desired.